adminLONDON. — As Zimbabwe and Togo prepare to make their Winter Olympic debuts in Sochi, Kenya’s first international skier recalls the unexpected friendship that turned him into a poster boy for snow sports in Africa.
When Philip Boit put on his skis at the Nagano Winter Olympics 1998, it was only two years since he had first seen snow.
Boit was born into a farming family in Eldoret in western Kenya, home to some of the world’s fastest runners, but when the sportswear company Nike came looking for a runner prepared to train as a cross-country skier, the 26-year-old stepped forward.
“It was a bit challenging at first because I had never experienced cold weather like that in my life,” he says, remembering his first trip to Finland, where he went to train.
“Even putting on skis was so difficult! But after some time, I learned to adapt.”
Some pundits said Nike was using Boit as a “marketing pawn”, but he quickly excelled at this tough endurance sport. After training on roller skis in sunny Kenya, as well as in Finland, he qualified for the 10km classic style event at the Winter Olympics.
His rivals included the world’s most successful cross-country skier, Bjorn Daehlie, who was and remains a huge icon in Norway, where the sport is as popular as football.
“The whole Norwegian team had heard about this strange guy from Africa who was trying to participate,” he recalls.
“We thought that was quite interesting and we were eager to see if he would succeed!” — BBC Sport.
Online Reporter